Hi, everyone.  Wow!!!  Chapter 5, so soon after the 4th.  I’m on a roll
here.

Usual Disclaimers apply!!

Enjoy!!!
The Parent Trap: Chapter 5 - Spring the Trap!

	Usagi knew something was up if her sister was desperate enough 
to risk getting caught sending a fax.  As soon as she saw it, she told 
her Mom, she had to do something and left the room.  As soon as she 
got into the study room, she dialed the operator, and said, “Yes, I’d 
like to place a collect call to Tokyo, Japan.”  Usagi gave the 
operator the number and the phone began to ring.  Shortly after, Rini 
picked up, and sounded like she was a bit scared, “Hello!!

	Usagi wasted no time, “Rini, what is it?!?!  What’s wrong?!?!

	“Usagi, in the words of Apollo 13, ‘Houston, we have a 
problem.’  DAD’S GETTING MARRIED TO AN UGLY RED HEAD NAMED BERYL.”

	Usagi was in fright by this point, “WHAT?”

	“The Wedding is in two weeks.  If there is any hope of getting 
our parents back together, we have to do it fast.  Usagi, get Mom over 
here, NOW!!!!”

	“Ok, Mom and I are fixing to go to the mall for a bit, after 
she finishes her work for the day.  I’ll drop the bomb on her first 
thing in morning,” Usagi said.

	“Ok, and Rini, Hurry!!!”  With that, Usagi said she’d call 
after talking to Mom to hash out the details for the reunion, and the 
two hung up to get to work,  totally clueless that two people listened 
in on their entire conversation……. Mina and Andrew.

	Mina was in shock, ““  
Mina decided it was time to confront Rini, correction Usagi, about 
their scheme.  So she walked back to the study, thinking, ““

	Mina got to the study just as Usagi was coming out and Usagi 
bumped into her Aunt Mina, “Oh, sorry Aunt Mina.”

	“Don’t mention it…… Usagi.”  

	Usagi gulped as she realized her cover has already been blown 
and was thinking only one thing, “  Uh oh, is it too late to 
call my lawyer?“

	Mina just took her niece by the hand and asked, “Ok, how did 
this all start?  And don’t leave out a thing.”  With that, Usagi began 
telling her Aunt how she met Rini, and how they found out they were 
twins.  When she was done, Usagi expected to get grounded or something 
but instead got, “Usagi, why didn’t you include me on this this plan?” 
Usagi was shocked that she wasn’t in trouble and Mina continued, “Who 
do you think hooked up Serena’s best friend, Amy, with Greg.  And who 
do you think sent Serena on that business trip to London?  I knew she 
was going to be exhausted and take the QE2, and I also knew your 
father was going to be on that boat too.  In other words, I set up 
your parents, sort of, also.  It was pure dumb luck that they met 
their first night aboard.  I didn’t know if they would actually meet 
or not, at the time, but I hoped they would, and they did.  Now with 
that out of the way, I‘d like to do one thing before we start coming 
up with a plan.”  With that said, Mina gave Usagi a big hug while 
saying, “Last time I saw you, you were still in diapers.  GOD, I 
missed you Usagi.”  Usagi just returned the hug, too shocked to do, or 
say, anything else.

Tokyo, Japan

	Andrew had planned to call his parents to chat for a while.  
What he didn’t expect to find was Usagi, or should he say Rini, 
talking with her twin sister on the phone.  After the two hashed out 
their next step to their plan, they hung up, and Andrew decided to 
walk to Usagi’s room, and confront Rini.  He knocked, and after 
hearing a ‘come in,’ Andrew stepped in and said, “Ok, ‘RINI,’ I’d like 
a few answers.  I had a feeling something was different about you 
since you got back from camp, and hearing you talk on the phone just 
confirmed my suspicions.”

	Rini gulped in fright and had the same thing on her mind that 
Usagi had, “ Uh, Uncle Andrew, I can explain.“  Rini then 
began her tale of what happened at camp, and when she was done, she 
looked at her Uncle and hoped she wasn’t in trouble.

	Instead she got, “FINALLY!!!  Someone else who thinks those 
two getting a divorce was a big mistake.”  This got a grin from Rini 
before the two got into a bear hug from each other, before hashing out 
their details.

Napa, California

	The next morning, the entire house hold was at the dinner 
table, and this time Usagi’s Grandma did the cooking, while Mina was 
tide up and gagged in a dinning room chair till breakfast was done.  
This got a few snickers out of Usagi, ““  Once breakfast was on the 
table, Serena untied her sister and they all sat down to eat.  During 
breakfast, Usagi got more and more nervous, for she knew what she had 
to do.  The family was talking and when her Mother asked what she 
wanted to do today, Usagi said, “Actually, Mom, I won’t be able to do 
much today.  I have to go out of town.”

	This got everyone, except Mina, to set their puzzled looks on 
Usagi, when her Mom asked, “Why’s that?”

	Usagi couldn’t bring herself to say anything till her Aunt 
Mina said, “Go ahead.  You said you’d ‘drop the bomb’ in the morning.”

	Serena asked her daughter, “What bomb?  Rini, what is your 
Aunt talking about?”

	“  Mom, I’m not Rini, I’m Usagi.  Rini is in 
Tokyo with Dad, Darien Chiba.”

	Serena, Sammy, Ellen, and Ken had their eyes bugged out at 
this.  No one in the house had ever mentioned Darien since he left 
with Usagi.  The only way this little pink haired kid could have known 
her father’s name was if she was…….  Serena slowly got out of her 
chair, walked to Usagi, and looked at her daughter, right in the eyes. 
What she saw made her rap her daughter in a tight hug.  She didn’t see 
Rini, she saw her other daughter.  The one she hadn’t seen in 8 years, 
“Usagi!!!”  Both mother and daughter cried onto each other’s shoulders,
and the hug soon became a group hug as the rest of the family joined 
in.  Once everyone was settled down, Serena turned to her sister, “And 
how long have you known this, Mina.”

	Mina giggled, nervously, “Hehe, since last night, when Rini 
excused herself from your presence.  I followed her to the study, and 
listened in on her phone call with her sister from another phone.”

	“I’ll talk to you later, Mina,”  Serena’s sister gulped, 
nervously before Serena turned to her daughter, “And as for you, Ms. 
Chiba, I want the whole story on how this started.”

	Rini began her tale on what happened at camp.  When she was 
done, Usagi asked, “Are you mad at me Mommy?”

	Serena saw the sad look on her daughter’s face, and the way 
her short pigtails seemed to droop, for added affect on how sad and 
scared she looked.  Serena just couldn’t stay angry at a face like 
that and wrapped Usagi in another hug saying, “No, sweet heart, I’m 
not.  But your father and I will need to switch you back.”

	Usagi looked up at her Mom and said, “His and her kids.  No 
offense Mom, but this arrangement stinks.”

	Everyone got a good chuckle out of this, and Serena said, “I 
agree Usagi.”

	Usagi then said, “Well lets go see Dad and straighten this out.
Rini is expecting me to call her back after I talked to you, so I’ll 
go use the phone.”

	Serena said, “Ok, Sweet heart.  I’ll take care of everything.  
You have nothing to worry about.”

	Famous last words, a few minutes later, Serena emerged from 
her closet, looking like a wreck and said to her Mom, “I can’t do this.
I haven’t seen Darien in 8 years, Mom.  What am I suppose to say to 
him?  Don’t answer that.  I mean, we made this arrangement so we 
wouldn’t have to see each other again.  Was that wrong of me?  Don’t 
answer that either.”

	Ellen, just stood there watching her oldest daughter, by 5 
minutes, ramble on as she walked in and out of her closet with clothes 
and put them in her suitcase.  Ellen couldn’t help it.  Her daughter 
looked so silly rambling on like that, and she chuckled a little.  
She’s never seen Serena so nervous in her entire life.  Then Ellen 
began thinking, “  Serena calm down, I’m sure 
everything will work out fine.  Just relax.”

	“Relax?!?!  Here I am, packing to cross the Pacific to see my 
ex-husband, who I haven’t seen in 8 years, and you want me to calm 
down?  Mom, I’m ‘well’ past calming down.”

	Usagi has just finished talking to Rini about where they will 
meet in Tokyo, and the two decided to ‘accidentally’ forget to tell 
their Dad she was coming.  Usagi just got to her Mom’s door, suitcase 
in hand when she heard how nervous her mother was, and she had to 
giggle at it, before walking in, “Ok, Mom, all set to go.”

	Serena turned around to see her daughter packed up, and……with 
her hair down?  “Usagi, why is your hair down?”

	“Well, I’ve had my hair down most of my life and I didn’t want 
to put Dad into so much shock he’d pass out at the sight of two…., 
what’s the word Rini used?  Meatball heads?  Anyway, it took Rini a 
long time to show me how to do the hair in the flamingo style.  Never 
learned it till camp.”

	“Well, I’m packed too, almost,” Serena said.  As soon as the 
two were ready, they walked to the entry room to see Mina ready as 
well, “Mina what do you think your doing?”

	Mina just grinned, “Going with you.  I have got to see Darien’s
reaction when he sees you, Rini, and Usagi, in the same space.  It’s 
got to be priceless.”  Without any further argument, the group of 3 
got in the truck and drove to the airport.

	On the way to the airport, Serena asked, “Usagi, what did you 
say to your Dad when you talked on the phone?”

	Usagi had to softly gulp at this, “  Oh, he said he’d meet us at Holiday Inn in downtown Tokyo.  
And he said he was really excited to see you Mommy.”  Usagi couldn’t 
help but laugh at the blush that suddenly appeared on her Mom’s face 
at that moment.  Just then they arrived at the airport and checked 
into their flight, and boarded shortly after.

Tokyo, Japan - Holiday Inn

	Andrew and Rini managed to convince Darien to have a family 
meeting with Beryl’s parents at the Holiday Inn.  They arrived 
shortly before 3:00, and met Beryl’s parents in the lobby.  When Rini 
met them, she discovered where Beryl got her looks, and attitude.  
Yesterday, after she talked with Andrew, Beryl confronted her, 
basically saying, “Your no longer the only girl in your father’s life, 
get use to it.”  Rini’s already low opinion of Beryl went even lower 
that day, “  Rini brushed it aside and played the loving little girl for 
show to Beryl’s parents.

	Outside the hotel, a taxi pulled up, and three people climbed 
out……, well actually, two climbed out, the 3rd fell out, “You know 
Mina, I never tasted Vodka before now. *hick up*”

	“Could have fooled me Sere,” was Mina’s reply to a drunk 
Serena.  

	Usagi just rolled her eyes, ““  The trio walked into the hotel and checked into a room 
for the night.  

	As soon as they were checked in, Serena said, “Why don’t you 
two go on upstairs, I’ll join you *hick* shortly.”  Mina and Usagi 
weren’t too sure that was a good idea, but decided to go ahead anyway.  
Right after their elevator doors closed, the elevator next to it opened
up and Rini and Andrew walked out.  Neither was watching where they 
were going and Serena didn’t see them either and the trio collided.

	Andrew immediately recognized Serena, ““  Andrew quickly turned around to hide his 
face, in case Serena recognized him.

	Serena turned to see who bumped into her, and saw Usagi, or so 
she thought, as her daughters cried out, “MOM!”

	“Darling, You could have gone up with out *Hick up* me, I know 
how to find the room.”  Serena decided to go to the hotel bar, and 
told ‘Usagi’ to go back up.

	Rini turned to Andrew, exasperated,  “She’s drunk.  She’s 
never had more then a glass of wine, and she chooses today, of all 
days, to show up totally zonked.”  Andrew couldn’t agree more, but the 
two decided to make themselves scarce.

	Just as Andrew and Rini left the hotel lobby, Beryl and Darien 
walked into the lobby and Beryl suggested, “Why don’t we go check out 
the honeymoon sweet, Darien.  I hear it is to die for.”

	Darien, meanwhile, was deep in thought, “ Alright.“  The two stepped into 
the elevator, and just as it started closing, Darien caught site of 
something he hadn’t seen in 8 years…… Serena, and she looked drunk as 
she waved at him just before the doors shut.

	Serena managed to find the bar after she took a wrong turn, 
which took her back to the lobby just as Darien went into an Elevator. 
Once she was there, she ordered something to help with the headache 
she was starting to get due to a hangover, <“Who was that woman all 
over Darien?  Usagi Serenity Chiba has some explaining to do.>“  Some 
minutes later, her drink was brought to her just as a certain red head 
sat down a few stools from her, and ordered a Martini.  The bar tender 
brought it to the red head and said, “Here’s your Martini,” then turned
to Serena, “And your bill, Ms. Tsukino.”  Serena took the bill and 
signed it for the bartender to bill it off of her account.

	Beryl glanced at the receipt to the women a few stools from 
her, and did a double take, and asked the women, “Your Serena 
Tsukino?!?!”

	Serena, still fighting a pounding headache, said, “Guilty.”

	Beryl got excited at moved to the stool next to Serena, “I’m 
planning a wedding in two weeks.  Your vineyard was recommended for the
wine selection.  I tried to call your office, but your family just 
said you were out of town.”

	The two chatted for a bit more before Serena, fully recovered 
from her hangover, excused herself, and gave the women, named Beryl, 
her card and left.  She had a certain daughter to confront.  When she 
got to just outside their hotel room, Serena shouted, “USAGI SERENITY 
CHIBA.”  With that her hotel room, and the one directly across the 
hall, opened up and two pink haired girls emerged, “Oh no.  Don’t do 
this to me, I’m already seeing double.”

	Rini decided to lift her Mother’s confusion, “It’s Mom, Rini.”

	Serena noticed she was looking at both her daughters and took 
them both in a hug before getting a good look at the two of them, and 
began to cry, “I can’t believe the two of you are together.”  Then 
Serena remembered something, “How could you do this to me?”

	Before the girls could try to remove their confusion, Andrew 
emerged from the room, Rini came from and said, “Can we continue this 
in the other room?”  At everyone’s agreement, they moved into Serena’s
room as Andrew said, “Hi.  I don’t know if you….”

	Serena interrupted with a hug saying, “Andrew!!!!”

	After Serena walked into her room, Andrew said, “I knew I 
always liked her for good reasons.”  He walked in as well and closed 
the door, and saw that Serena was about to give her daughters a 
lecture.

	“One of you, I’m not sure which one yet, but one of you told 
me your father knew I was coming.  Well, The man I saw downstairs 
didn’t even know I was in the same continent, let alone the same hotel 
room.”

	Usagi asked, “You saw Dad already?”

	“Yes, and looked like he’d seen a ghost.  Can one of you get 
me a wash cloth,” Serena asked, feeling her headache return, but not 
because of a hangover.  Rini got up and got a wash rag from the 
bathroom and got it soaking wet, before bringing it back to her Mom.
Serena took it and placed it on her forehead as she laid down on the 
couch.

	Just then Mina emerged from her bedroom in an orange one piece 
bathing suit.  Serena saw this and asked, not thinking clearly, “MINA, 
what are you doing?”

	“Going for a dip Serena.  Do you mind,” Mina asked.  After 
Serena said ok, Mina turned to see a gorgeous blond haired, blue eyed 
young man standing just inside the hotel room, ”Oh!  Hello there hunky 
stranger.”

	Serena rolled her eyes, as did the girls, but Andrew was 
thinking something else, “
Hello yourself.”

	Serena decided to do the introductions, “Mina this is Darien’s 
friend, Andrew.  Andrew, this is my twin sister Mina.  She was in 
college when I met you, and that's why you never met her.”  The pink 
haired twins giggled at how Mina and Andrew were grinning all goofy 
eyed at each other, which brought Serena back to the topic of 
discussion, “Girls, you are going to tell me why your Father didn’t 
know I was coming.”

	“Were they,” Mina interrupted, “Well, I got an errand to do.”

	Andrew decided he'd better leave too before he could get 
interrogated, “Allow me to assist you.”

	Serena noticed this and stood up, “HOLD IT!!!”  The two froze 
and turned to Serena as she continued, “Does everyone here know 
something I don’t?”

	Everyone nodded their heads, nervously, “Yes.”

	Usagi said, “Mom.  Dad’s getting married.”

	This put Serena into shock, and sadness, before falling back 
onto her seat when Rini said, “To a cruel and ugly red head Mom, we 
can’t let him go through with it.”

	"We thought we could stop it if…..,” Usagi turned to Rini, “You 
tell her, she knows you better.”

	Rini walked over to her Mom, sat down beside her and said, “If 
he sees you again.”

	Serena quickly caught on to what the girls were saying, “Your 
trying to set me up with your father?”

	Both nodded, “Yes!!”

	Rini said, “Your perfect for each other Mom, even if Dad tends 
to be a bit stubborn.”

	Serena then noticed Mina and Andrew trying to quietly leave 
the room, “You two knew about this?”  Both of them tried to deny it 
but eventually gave up and admitted they knew.  The group talked about 
this for several minutes before breaking up to go swimming to clear 
their minds of all this, except Serena who stayed in the hotel room, 
silently asking, “Why Darien?  Why did you leave me 8 years ago?”  A 
single tear began to run down her face, as Serena’s only answer.

	Darien, meanwhile, has been searching the hotel left and right 
for Serena.  Ever since he saw her in the hotel lobby, he’s been 
thinking of nothing but her.  He also had questions, like what was she 
doing here, why was she here, and was it even her in the first place or
were his eyes playing tricks on him.  His search has now taken him 
onto the hotel patio, where there is a swimming pool.  He checked 
several blonds before he was stopped by Beryl’s parents.  They got 
into a conversation about having the wedding at the hotel when Darien 
spotted her coming onto the patio.  In Darien’s opinion, Serena hadn’t 
changed a bit.  She was as beautiful as ever, and 8 years didn’t seem 
to have changed her appearance at all.  If anything it made her look 
more beautiful.  He excused himself from Beryl’s parents and began to 
try to get to Serena to talk to her, however he noticed the pool was 
between him and her, so he had to walk around it.  On his way, he 
tripped over a short end table, and managed to stop from falling over.  

	He heard Andrew ask, “Darien you all right?”  

	He turned to see Andrew, his daughter, and some woman who 
looked a lot like Serena and answered, “Yes, I’m fine.”

	Darien’s daughter’s eyes lit up in horror, “DAD, watch out!!!” 
It was too little too late though, for Darien tripped over a guy’s foot
and fell backwards into the swimming pool.

Well this is ch. 5.  Hope you liked it.  Send comments to 
gbess@iname.com  and visit my web site at 
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Courtyard/2058.

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/courtyard/2058